Film Review – HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER (1998)

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998; USA; Colour; 86m) *** d. Steve Miner; w. Robert Zappia, Matt Greenberg; ph. Daryn Okada; m. John Ottman, Jeremy Sweet. Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, LL Cool J, Adam Hann-Byrd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Janet Leigh, Chris Durand. Laurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time and now the life of her own son hangs in the balance. Horror sequel is a largely effective thriller with its fair share of tension and shocks. Curtis returns to the franchise and delivers a performance of depth, which stands out against more familiar genre material. Let down by its insistence on going for one climax too many. Early role for Hartnett as Curtis’ faithful son. Followed by HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION (2002). [18]